Fairmont Elementary School

About This School

Fairmont Elementary School is located in EL Cerrito, CA and is one of 64 schools in West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is a public school that serves 553 students in grades K-7. See Fairmont Elementary School's test results to learn more about school performance.

A school's Academic Performance Index (API) is a scale that ranges from 200 to 1000 and is calculated from the school's performance in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. The state has set 800 as the API target for all schools to meet.

Fairmont Elementary School had an API growth score of 794 in 2012. California uses the Academic Performance Index (API) to measure annual school performance and year-to-year improvement.
Fairmont Elementary School's 2012 base score was 797 and the school did not meet its 2012 school-wide growth target.

In 2010, Fairmont Elementary School had 20 students for every full-time equivalent teacher. The California average is 24 students per full-time equivalent teacher.

Grade 2 Math Performance

Fairmont Elementary School Reviews

A great school overall. It is diverse with some wonderful, caring and involved teachers.

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By a Parent on Jan 12, 2012

We have two children going to Fairmont Elementary School, located in El Cerrito, California. Fairmont serves grades K-6 in the West Contra Costa Unified School District.
Fairmont has great teachers, and administrative personnel. Teachers that care and understand the back grown and needs of their students they are absolutely respectful, and friendly, and communicate with us parents. The teachers have shown creative ways to teach and bring their students to experience education in many ways; the students may think that they are learning art while they are reviewing the scientific components of insects, plants, etc., and their social attributions. Our administrative staff work hard, they are there for our children and are absolutely friendly, and capable to handle any emergencies. Our teachers and administrative personal attitude towards our children and their experience make this school a great school providing good education and safety. Our PTA works very well, providing great afterschool activities, also bringing physical education and music. Fairmont will be rebuilt within the next 2 to 3 years.

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By Chris on Jan 3, 2011

Fairmont is a culturally rich and diverse school. The scores may not be as high as many parents would like, but if you look at where these kids are coming from and how many ELL's there are, the test scores are not as bad as you may think. The new (now in her 2nd year) principal is well liked by both faculty and family and has Fairmont moving in the right direction.

Fairmont will also be going through a drastic remodeling in the upcoming years that will help showcase how great this school is.

Fairmont is the oldest school in El Cerrito and has been a school before El Cerrito was even chartered as a city. The current PTA is very active (yet friendly and open to new contributors/participants). Over the last two years, the school has seemed to get better and better (new families joining the community are becoming active contributors to the success of the school, which is always nice to see). Now, there's an edible garden, after-school programs, monthly and seasonal events, and more. One downside though is that many of the school's students are low-income and ESL, and the school struggles with finances (like many other schools), so the campus isn't new looking, fundraisers aren't as successful as other campuses, and the community is sometimes lacking (because the low-income parents are struggling to provide for their families and don't have as much free time to volunteer at school). Also, the school could be run better -- more efficiently, with better communication and more modern approaches (current administration is a bit old school and stuck in their ways; flyers sent home often contain mis-spellings and other errors, or are missing key information; sometimes parents get notices about assignments 24 hours before they're due, etc.). Overall though, the school isn't bad and we continue to send our daughter there to support public neighborhood schools (be the change you want to see in the world!).

Test Scores

About the CST

The California Standards Test (CST) is an annual exam used to measure a student's mastery of the state's grade-level academic standards. The CST is one of the five components of the STAR Program.

Which Grades and Subjects?

Students are assessed in grades 2 through 11 in English language arts and math, in grades 5, 8 and 10 in science, and in grades 8, 10 and 11 in history/social science. In grades 9 through 11, students may also be assessed in math and science, depending on course enrollment.

How is it Scored?

Students receive one of five ratings: far below basic, below basic, basic, proficient or advanced. The goal is for all students to score at or above the proficient level.

About the CAT6

What is it?

The California Achievement Test (CAT/6) is a series of nationally norm-referenced tests that assess general academic knowledge in core subjects, as well as providing national comparisons. The CAT/6 test is one of the five components of the STAR Program.

Which Grades and Subjects?

Students in grades 3 and 7 are assessed in reading, language arts, spelling and math.

How is it Scored?

Students receive a percentile rank, which indicates how well they performed in comparison to their peers in other states. The goal is for all students to score at or above the national average, or 50th percentile, on the test.

4

TestRating4 out of 10

The Education.com TestRating is a number (1-10) calculated by Education.com that provides an overview of a school’s test performance for a given year, by comparing the school’s state standardized test results to those of other schools in the same state. For California, the TestRating is calculated using a school's 2012 CST Results for all subjects tested.more...